CP Holiday Train Rolls into the Station Tonight!

Merrickville – Merrickville will be welcoming the CP Holiday Train for the 8th year on Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at 4:45 PM at the East Broadway & County Road 2 tracks. This annual fundraising program has raised over $14.5 million and 4.3 million pounds of food since 1999 to help those in need. The event has collected over 24,497 lbs of food which is shared locally between – The Merrickville Emergency Food Cupboard a part of Rideau Community Health Services, House of Lazarus in Mountain, and South Grenville Food Bank.

This is the 20th year that the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train program has travelled across Canada and the United States. At each stop the program, raises money, food and awareness for food banks and hunger issues. The Holiday Train reaches 164 communities each year, travelling a combined distance of over 10,000 kilometres – making a difference, one stop at a time. “On behalf of the 13,000-strong family here at CP, it is my great pleasure to kick-off the 20th tour of the CP Holiday Train,” said Keith Creel, CP’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “It is a privilege for CP to be able to run a program like this and connect with so many communities across our network. I want to personally thank each individual who has made a donation over the past 20 years – your collective efforts have made the Holiday Train a huge success for two decades.”

This free event is sure to wow new comers or the seasoned visitor with its brightly decorated rail cars each decorated with hundreds of thousands of LED Christmas lights and the trains modified box car that opens into a travelling stage. This year, musical guests will be Terri Clark, Kelly Prescott and Sierra Noble from 5-5:30pm.

To coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Holiday Train, CP will release 20 festive songs by artists that have toured on the train over the past 20 years. For 20 days beginning November 25th, fans can visit the CP Holiday Train playlist on Spotify for a free song to stream. Users with premium Spotify accounts can download songs onto their smartphone. Make sure to tune in daily for an advent calendar of holiday hits by past artists such as Alan Doyle, Wide Mouth Mason, Terri Clark, Jim Cuddy, Odds and more.

People visiting the Holiday Train are encouraged to take photos and enter CP’s Capture the Spirit photo contest. Participants could win a trip aboard the 2019 CP Holiday Train and a $1,000 donation to their local food bank. Further details about the contest will be available closer to the start of the program on the CP Holiday Train Facebook page at facebook.com/HolidayTrain.

To help make this year the best yet for local food banks and food shelves, the Holiday Train asks fans to follow the train on social media, invite their friends and family and spread the message about the importance of heart-healthy donations by using #HealthyDonations. Supporters can follow the CP Holiday Train on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @CPHolidayTrain. Use #CPHolidayTrain as you track the progress of the train across North America.

For more information, please visit www.cpr.ca. If you would like to volunteer to help with this exciting event, please contact Joanne McIntyre 613-269-3400.